Playing with the Big Boys Now
by dr pepper upper
Summary: He was a pure-blooded Slytherin prodigy, and she was just a nobody. She hardly ever thought about him, he didn't even know her name. They lived in separate worlds, until she and her family showed up as the Dark Lord's special guests. AU 6th - 7th years.
1. The Doors Open

A/N: Hello everyone! I just want to take the time to say that I hope you like this story and to please R&R! It really helps a lot if I know that you hate it or love it.

I own nothing, only my original character and the plot. I hope you enjoy!

"Once you're in, you can't get out."

He had been hearing that one sentence since he knew what it meant. His father had said it over and over again, sometimes accompanying the words with a sharp slap to the face. When the words came from his mother, they were a stark contrast. Her voice was soft and her hands were gentle, stroking his hair and trying to soothe him when he got into one of his panics. It came from his aunt, a harsh, cruel, crazy woman who would purr in his ear, the words slithering through his mind like a silver snake.

Needless to say, Draco Malfoy lead a life quite out of the norm. To someone who hardly knew him, it would look like he had it all: a big house, power, wealth, and even popularity in Hogwarts. Well, that reason was because he was enemies with Harry Potter. Ha! They all thought that his rivalry with Harry Potter was his biggest problem in his life. Oh, if they only knew...

When the Dark Lord returned, Draco's life had been flipped upside down. While everyone was busy being so skeptical and not believing Potter, he had known it was true from the moment Potter had screamed it over the Hufflepuff's dead body at the Triwizard Tournament. His blood had frozen in his veins as he stared down at the scene. He had wondered if his father had been there, and he wondered what had gone on there. His father had not been happy when he had returned home from Hogwarts. The house was filled with a steely silence for a time. Draco had not been sure what to think.

And then things had gotten even more complicated. Over the next year, his father had urged him to stop worrying over trivial things at Hogwarts and look to his future. What was he going to do? Well, Draco knew he had no choice in the matter. Eventually, he would join his father and become a Death Eater, a loyal servant to the Dark Lord. He hadn't known what that entailed until it was too late.

Oh yes, it was much too late... Draco Malfoy was more than just a lost cause. He was trapped, trapped inside the life that had been chosen for him before he was even born. If he dared to back out now, it would end in his own demise, without question. He hadn't known how literal that one phrase was... Once you got in, there really _was_ no getting out.

That was unfortunate, because Draco did want out. He wanted to never have to see the Dark Lord's face again, never have to hear that cold, cruel voice that was haunting his nightmares. It was especially bad, since the Dark Lord was not happy with many of his followers, and he had taken to making Malfoy Manor his headquarters. The man frequently went into mad rages, which was bad. He had muggles or muggleborns tortured right in their dining room. He could hear their screams and pleads. He could still see their eyes, wide with terror and pain...

"Draco, get up!" Gray eyes flew open and Draco sat up abruptly as his door banged open. His father stood in the doorway, looking flustered and angry. Had he done something wrong? He had to think back to yesterday, but nothing came.

"What is wrong, father?" He asked, biting back a yawn and pushing blond bangs from his eyes, looking completely and utterly bored. With his father, it was better to act like he didn't care. His father considered feelings to be a weakness and had pounded that into his son for such a long time that Draco started noticing that he had closed up on his feelings as well. It was not a revelation that pleased him, but what could he do? Saving his own skin came first every time, and if that meant being numb to feelings, he'd do it. His pale skin was, as of yet, quite unmarred, and he would much rather keep it that way.

Was it vain? Of course it was. He was a _Malfoy_. To be a Malfoy was to _be_ vain and put oneself above all others, except when it came to the Dark Lord.

"The Dark Lord is calling a meeting. Get ready and get downstairs immediately," Lucius slammed the door shut as he left, and Draco jumped a bit at the sound. _It must be important_, he thought as he pushed the sheets off of his body and stood up. With a groan, for he really hadn't wanted to get up, he padded over to his bathroom and started the process of getting himself ready for what was to come. The only blessing he could count at the moment was that a new year at Hogwarts would be started, and though he would never admit such things to anyone, he would be glad to get away from his home and from Voldemort.

Once he was dressed and presentable, he made his way downstairs, breathing slowly and deeply with each step. Draco did this exercise each time he had to face the Dark Lord. It made him calm, able to keep emotionless and eliminate any trace of fear on his face. His father had berated him when he showed fear, accompanying the harsh words with a stern hand. It made him learn, and he was almost thankful for it.

"Draco, _dearest_, move a little faster," purred a sinister voice behind him. Draco stopped and whirled to come face to face with his aunt, Bellatrix. "I said _move faster_, not stop completely." Bellatrix narrowed her eyes and pushed him to the side, moving around him and continuing down the stairs with a faster pace. Draco shook his head and blinked. His aunt was... Well, in simple words, she was crazy. He had never liked it when she spoke to him that way. She always sounded like she'd very much like to kill him if he didn't do her will in five seconds.

"You may want to get your son checked, Lucius. I'm afraid he's getting slower and slower as the days go by." Bellatrix's voice came from the foot of the stairs, and Draco sped up his pace to see her standing in front of his father. His blood boiled a bit at her words, but he didn't have time to defend himself, for his father grabbed his arm and wrenched him out of the stairwell.

"You've made us late," he growled as he dragged Draco behind him to the usual place. Bellatrix chuckled lowly behind them, soft enough for Draco to hear. He ignored her and breathed deeply as his arm was let go and they walked quickly into the darkened room. Voldemort was at the head of the long table, with empty chairs waiting for them near him. Draco followed his father and took a seat as far away from the Dark Lord as possible, while still being nonchalant about it.

"You are late." Cold, cruel, and high, that voice was enough to send a brave man quivering with chills. Draco tried to cover up his own by shrugging into his coat a bit more, as if he were cold.

"I apologize, my lord." Draco looked up to his father, waiting for him to mention something about his son had held them up, but the comment never came. Everyone was there, and the table was almost full, except for three chairs across from him, his father, and his mother, who had already been waiting there. Who hadn't shown up?

"We are just waiting for our guests to show up. They should arrive soon," Voldemort said while Nagini slithered around his shoulders. Draco swallowed. Either that meant there was going to be another muggle family tortured, or some people were about to become as trapped as he already was.


	2. The Strangers

A/N: I was in a writing mood today, so BAM! Got the second chapter up. Everyone, meet the Dawes family! There isn't a whole lot of elaboration on their personalities here, just their appearances and Draco's speculations. But, of course, this is where they are introduced, so I could only do so much, you see. Well, anyway, I hope you enjoy (and R&R!)

lalaxfresh: Thank you! I hope I can manage to make this good, but we'll just have to see. x3

I'm trying very hard to keep him in character with the sneering and the sarcasm and everything. xD Thank you for reviewing! 3

There was a silence in the room that Draco felt like he could cut with a knife. The Dark Lord seemed content to sit in the silence, staring at no one and most likely thinking. Draco decided that whatever was going on his mind, he didn't want to know. He would be lying if he said he liked to be in the Dark Lord's presence all the time. At first, he had found it thrilling and quite the honor to be able to be in the same room with him. If it were at all possible, he would have gloated to the whole school about how his family was trusted by the Dark Lord and how loyal his family was.

His feelings were the complete opposite now. He felt pathetic for trembling at the mere thought of having to be in the same vicinity as the Dark Lord. He didn't like how he and his family had the spotlight shining on them all the time. His family had never really been close to each other before, but since the Dark Lord came back... Whatever closeness was there shattered. The bond with his mother had weakened considerably, which was saying a lot. She had always been one of his favorite people. He knew she still loved him, and he adored her, but with the constant strain on them all, well... It just wasn't the same.

Draco looked around at all the Death Eaters present. Each had his or her gaze fixated on the Dark Lord, never wavering, hardly even blinking. They worshiped him. And even though Draco knew he was no exception, they looked pathetic. Each groveling at his feet without once spec of self preservation. He could barely understand why they would do such a thing, but he supposed that some types of humans gravitate towards power and will do anything to have or be near the source. He didn't grovel because he believed he already had power that others moved towards.

That was true, too. At Hogwarts, he had no real friends. He had people that hovered around him because of his family name, his wealth and influence. Well, okay, his father had the influence, but he was directly related to him, wasn't he? What was more, Draco liked having the feeling that people admired his power, and it made him realize that he and the Dark Lord were alike in that manner.

Before Draco could think on that connection more, suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed. He looked around, now aware that he had completely gone into his own world for a time. He spared a glance to his father who was staring at the oak doors that opened to the room. He hadn't heard the knock on the door, for when he was immersed in his thoughts, he hadn't heard anything. Bellatrix had gotten up and was moving to the door after the Dark Lord had ordered her to open it and bring his guests through. Draco braced himself for what was to come through the door, fully aware that it could be an innocent muggle, ready to be tortured because of their blood. It had happened before.

However, he needn't have worried. The people who walked through the door were walking on their own accord. There were three people. A woman with short dark hair and clear blue eyes led the way, striding confidently up the length of the table to immediately get to her knees before the Dark Lord. Following closely behind her was a man who Draco could only assume was either a brother or a husband. He had dark brown eyes and dirty blonde hair and was quite tall. Following them was a considerably shorter and younger girl, looking to be around Draco's own age. She had waist length brown hair and dark eyes, like the man. They had to be a family, because she looked like both the woman and the man mixed together.

The woman was the most confident, that was for sure. She had her eyes fixed on the Dark Lord the entire time and had that look in her eyes that the others had. She is just like the rest of them, Draco scoffed inwardly and rolled his man was looking around warily. He looked like he knew the risks. Smart man... The girl was trembling the slightest bit and stumbled when she got to the Dark Lord. Maybe no one else noticed it, but Draco had always been observant and was able to catch the smallest of things. She was afraid, he could tell, but who wouldn't be? She looked familiar, oddly...

"My lord," the older woman said with a note of adoration in her voice, "it is truly an honor to be in your presence." Draco wanted to gag. Did she know how pathetic she sounded? He shook his head in disbelief as the man uttered something along the same lines, but without the undying fervor that the woman had in her voice. The girl didn't speak at all, just kept her head bowed as she stayed kneeling on the ground.

Draco had heard his father saying something about how an old pureblood family had done something to gain the Dark Lord's attention, and his father hadn't seemed very happy about it. He hadn't heard exactly what they had done, but by the look on the Dark Lord's face, it must have been good for him. Quiet words were passed between the three of them, until Voldemort said, "Take a seat." All three of the kneeling strangers got up and moved to the empty seats across from Draco and his family. He scanned their faces with an expressionless face, and decided he already didn't like the look of them.

The woman looked like the obsessive type, a neat freak, maybe. Her robes had not a spec of dust on them, and were arranged perfectly. Not a hair was out of place on her head and her makeup was obviously carefully done. The man was probably of the silent but strong sort, he observed with a scoff. There was no use being like that if you wanted anything done. Draco knew from experience that if one wanted to get something done, you had to hit someone where it hurt and not feel any pity or remorse. That man looked like he would apologize for smashing a fly, and Draco could only wonder at what he had done to get the Dark Lord's attention. The girl was unimportant and he didn't waste time thinking about how she acted. He was more focused on the fact that he felt like he should know who she was. Her face looked familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"Your actions have proved you loyal to me, to my cause." The Dark Lord's voice pierced the icy silence that made the girl in front of Draco have the smallest of tremors. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. She definitely didn't know what her family was getting into. She wouldn't be prepared for it, of course. She looked like she was someone who scared easily.

A conversation was being carried by the other Death Eaters, the Dark Lord, and the strangers, except for the girl. She stared at the tabletop, hiding her face from any view as dark hair veiled her face.

By the sound of things over the period of time that Voldemort was obviously considering letting the Dawes family (which was apparently was their last name) into his circle of Death Eaters. Bellatrix and his father didn't look to happy at the thought of perhaps being outshone, but the Dark Lord seemed almost eager to bring the family in. Draco didn't pay much attention to the conversation until the Dark Lord suddenly addressed the girl who had not said a word upon entering the room.

"And who are you?" He asked with narrowed eyes and a skeptical tone to his voice. The girl's head snapped up and she looked the Dark Lord in the eye. She opened her mouth to speak, but her mother cut her off abruptly.

"She is our daughter, my lord," she said in a rushed breath, sending a glare to her daughter. By the look of it, she had been afraid that the girl would have said something that could have been disastrous.

"I realized that, Elise. I was talking to her, and I would like an answer from her, and not you." Draco knew that tone of voice. He had heard it when he was getting annoyed enough to start throwing hexes and go into one of his rages. Draco snorted. The woman really didn't know who she was dealing with, did she?

The girl looked almost glad she had a reason to speak up. "I'm Cecilia, my lord." Cecilia Dawes? No, the name still wasn't ringing any bells...

"Do you go to Hogwarts?" He asked, staring straight at her. She stared back, now unafraid and unwavering.

"Yes, my lord," she answered, and Draco frowned. She was tensing up, and he was sure her hands were balled into fists under the table.

"And what house are you in?" Draco's brow arched slightly as he watched her mother tense up as well, and her father throw a despairing look at his daughter.

"I'm a Hufflepuff, my lord." A confused silence enveloped the room until Bellatrix broke it with shrill, almost hysterical laughter. That was normal, however, Draco knew, so only the strangers looked worried. Draco felt like laughing at the girl too, though. A Hufflepuff? A Hufflepuff in a room of Death Eaters and a Dark Lord who had killed one of her housemates? Oh, oh, this was rich. But the Dark Lord didn't look fazed in the least. He quieted Bellatrix with the raising of his pale hand.

"Hufflepuff can be a noble house. They value loyalty above all else. Am I wrong?" Draco immediately looked to Cecilia who had been looking like she was about to go off.

"You are correct," she answered, her voice steely as she glared at his aunt. Her mother and father beside her seemed to relax a bit as the questions kept being directed towards their daughter and who exactly she was. Draco knew he was testing the girl, to see what he could do with her. He had done it before, and Draco had been a witness to that. He knew what happened to those who failed the test.

"I'm a sixth year, my lord," Cecilia was answering the latest question and had finally taken her gaze from the Dark Lord. Yeah, I'd get tired of looking at that face, too, thought Draco with a smirk. Instead, her gaze went to the others around her and landed on Draco himself. He sneered at her, as per usual. He had no affection for the trustworthy badgers. They were slow and they were not useful at all, as far as he was concerned. Serpents were the elite group, they would always be winning. She looked at him not with dislike or admiration but with confusion. Yeah, I don't know who you are either, Draco thought silently, still keeping that arrogant sneer on his face.

The Dark Lord must have noticed the two staring at each other, for he then spoke to the both of them. "Do you two know each other, Draco?" Grey eyes moved smoothly to the Dark Lord, and blinked. Draco shook his head, the sneer gone.

"Why would we?" That was a good question. They had never met before, never had had to come face to face with the other before. Hufflepuffs and Slytherins were on the opposite ends of the world, as far as he was concerned. If anyone was opposites, it was the two houses currently glaring at each other again.

"Well, we'll have to see to it that you get acquainted. Children of Death Eaters must stay close to each other." This time, when he heard the Dark Lord's voice, he didn't turn to him. He ignored the mutterings around him and movement and wondering at the Dark Lord's wish to make the Dawes into Death Eaters so soon.

"Draco, take Cecilia and show her around. You don't need to be here right now." Draco turned to see his mother close to him as the others gathered around the Dark Lord. He bit back a tart response, for he could never bring himself to snap at his mother, and nodded teresly. Since when did he have to become a babysitter for the Hufflepuff girl? With a exasperated sigh, he shot up from his chair, made a sharp hand movement to get the girl to follow him out, and stalked through the door without a glance behind.


	3. The Snake and The Bagder

A/N: Alright, here's the third chapter. I have a question for readers: Would you prefer me to keep this story only in Draco's POV or would you like me to switch it to Cecilia's POV at some point? I'm not exactly sure if I should keep it one way or the other, so some feedback would be appreciated. :3

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Though he would never admit it, Draco was glad to have an excuse to get out of the room. Maybe he would have liked _not_ to have to show the girl around, but at least he didn't have to worry about those red, soulless eyes looking into his. He was away from the Dark Lord prying his mind open and glancing into all that Draco held so close to himself. He had learned early on to keep his mind as sheltered as possible when he was around the Dark Lord, or else the consequences for what he might or might not be thinking would end in pain. He had learned that if he could keep his barriers up around his mind, there would be no pain.

Well, once he figured _that_ out, he had quickly worked on perfecting the art of occlumency. He hadn't dared ask his father to teach him, and when he asked his mother, she sent him to Severus Snape. Snape had shook him off with impatience, while grumbling something about 'already teaching one hothead'. Draco couldn't be sure if that was what he actually said, however. In his near-desperation, he had gone to his aunt, Bellatrix, one of the most powerful witches he knew. She had been a cruel but effective teacher. She had also taught him how to master nonverbal spells, and theCruciatus and Imperius curses._ I never want to learn anything from her again, though,_ Draco mused with a shake of his head. He had learned the Unforgivables the hard way.

"Ahem."

Draco whirled around at the unexpected sound, immediately pulling out his wand, an action that was habitual for him by now. However, instead of facing an attacker, he found himself looking down at the stranger he was supposed to be showing around. She had her eyes on his wand and was backing away slowly. "Are you always this jumpy?" He could tell that she was trying to sound nonchalant but the all too obvious quiver in her voice gave her fear away. How _weak_ of her. Of course... She was a Hufflepuff. Weakness could only be expected from them.

He sneered down at her, quickly pocketing his wand. "What do _you_ want?" This girl was below him and wasting his time already, and he figured he should make that clear. Apparently his tone of voice hadn't been enough, though, because the girl kept a pleasant look on her face as she tilted her head to the side.

"Well, I _was_ under the impression that you were going to show me around this place," she mused, shrugging as she did so, "but you've been staring off into space for so long that I was starting to wonder if you were still here." Her voice was no longer filled with fear, since he had lowered his wand, but he could tell that she was extremely wary of him, almost as if she were testing his sanity in a most patronizing way. _I __**am**__ mentally stable! _Draco was positively seething. Didn't she know who he was? Didn't she have any respect? _She should be groveling at my feet! I could kill her without saying one word! Doesn't she __**know**__ that?_ Oh yes, this girl certainly was stupid.

Then again, Puffers were _not_ known for their superior intellect.

"_I_ don't have any intention of showing _you_ anywhere," he spat, using the condescending tone he had so long ago perfected. _I'd gladly show you to the door,_ he thought as he turned on his heel and made to stalk away. Before he had gone five steps, he heard her call out again.

"Well, then, can I have a map?" What the bloody hell?

Draco spun around, now feeling completely exasperated. "A map of _what?_" Sure, their library had lots of maps, but he didn't understand why she was uttering such a useless request. Hufflepuffs were the dumbest of all people, apparently.

"Of this place, of course," she answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"We don't have a map of our home!"

"You should make some, and then hand maps out to your guests. I have a feeling that this place is like a labyrinth." Draco just stared at her with an incredulous expression on his pale face. She was just standing there amid the dark, smooth wood of the mansion, looking as if her suggestion was a practical one. He was so perplexed that he couldn't even focus enough to sneer at her or make a snarky comment. _Is the world ending yet?_

"That's a _wonderful_ idea, don't you think Draco? You start at the dungeons and I'll start in the attic and we'll meet in the middle." Draco looked over his shoulder to glare at his aunt, who had been the one to make the sarcastic comment. Thankful for this distraction, Draco snickered and nodded.

"Oh _yes_, could we? That would be _splendid_," he replied with exaggerated enthusiasm. This was his forte, of course: bullying. He had done it since the moment he had made 'friends'. He had always pushed people around, laughed at their ideas and made a fool out of them. He never really knew _why_ he did such a thing, but he knew that he _did_ like to see their reactions to him. He watched her closely to see what she was going to do about his words, but to his immense annoyance, she kept the peaceful look on her face as she looked at him and his aunt with mild interest. _She __**knows**__ that she can't do anything about it,_ he thought with almost disappointment.

At least when he got back to Hogwarts he would be able to take out his pent up aggression on Potter. He wanted to get under someone's skin and make them lash out. Potter, the weasel and the mudblood were prime targets of his. Draco Malfoy was not one to waste efforts, and if the girl wasn't going to react, then he wasn't going to even _try_.

"Draco." At the sound of his name, he froze. His mother's usually soft and soothing voice was as hard as steel and twice as cold. Draco didn't dare turn, for he did not want to see the disappointment and embarrassment in his mother's eyes. "I expect you to be polite to our guests, young man," she continued with the harsh voice only a mother can use when she is upset with a child she loves.

"Yes, mother." To his mortification, his voice cracked and came out weak instead of the haughty tone he felt like he should be using.

"You will take Cecilia to the guest quarters at once. The Dark Lord wants to keep her family close. They'll be staying here for a time." Draco's blood boiled at these words. Why did they have to stay here? In his _home_?

He only managed to nod curtly at his mother, afraid that if he were to open his mouth and speak, many curse words would spill out instead of civil words. He motioned for the unwelcome girl to follow him as he took off, leading the way to the guest quarters. He had much longer legs than she, so it gratified him to hear her almost jogging to keep up with his fast pace. Good, more than one person was suffering because of this new twist.

He kept waiting for her to complain, to ask for him to slow down, anything. However, she just kept quiet in a way that drove Draco crazy. He was used to his aunt making comments behind him and making him shiver with her words. He was used to his mother trying to keep a conversation with him and his father, which was nearly impossible. He was used to the harsher words that came out of his father's mouth, but he wasn't used to silence. He was used to hearing screams and pleads, and he could handle it. He was able to hide in his room and let emotions take over for a time and let himself be vulnerable while someone was in so much more pain than him. Silence was one thing that he just couldn't handle.

"You know, I figured you were a mudblood," he said suddenly, still keeping his pace fast. There was still no complaint from the girl behind him. She was most definitely jogging to keep up with him, however, which still gave him a weird kind of gratification.

"I would never have guessed." Much to his satisfaction, there was a hint of anger in her voice this time. He looked behind him to see her working hard to keep her facial expression quite neutral.

"Want to know why I thought you were a mudblood?"

"Not really, no." He ignored her completely and went on.

"I saw you playing a muggle game once," he stated, stopping suddenly. She smacked right into him and immediately doubled back. She stared up with him with a raised brow, as if to say, 'go on?' "What is it called? Toe-sphere? Feet-kick?" Oh, shit, he couldn't actually remember. _It has something to do with feet and a ball. That much I know._

"Football?" Draco nodded, effectively shaking his blond hair into his eyes.

"Yeah. That's it. Football," he confirmed. "That _is_ a muggle game, isn't it?" She nodded. "So why, if you are a pureblood, were you playing it?" She looked confused at his questioning.

"Um, because I wanted to?" Cecilia countered, shrugging. Draco felt like shaking some sense into her.

"Purebloods _do not_ play muggle games! Any self respecting pureblood knows _that_!" She had to be a self respecting person. With parents like hers, she should act like _he_ did, like everyone else was below her, because they _were_! Well, not Draco himself, he was more important than anyone at Hogwarts, and everyone knew_ that_.

"Well, I wanted to, and that's that," she motioned for him to keep moving. He growled and shook his head.

"So, you're a muggle lover? A blood traitor?" He sneered at her as he began walking again. This was just unbelievable! How could the Dark Lord let someone like her be in his presence?

"It was a one time thing." She waved her hand dismissively.

"Really? You looked like you knew what you were doing," he countered, now leading her upstairs and to the left. He didn't even need to look where he was going because he knew the house by heart. He had spent many years wandering the place, and still did when he was bored and had nothing to do. The girl wasn't speaking and he was content to leave her thinking. Merlin knew she needed some sense talked into her, and hopefully Draco would have many more chances to do as such. He had found a weak spot, and fully intended pressing it until she gave the reaction that he wanted.

Only when Draco showed her to a room she could call her own during her stay did Cecilia speak again. Her voice was carefully under control and that made him even more annoyed at her. "Everyone thinks that the Gryffindors and the Slytherins are opposites. They always have," she mused, leaning against the doorway and gazing up at Draco who was feeling more confused than ever.

"Well, _yeah_. That's because it's kind of _true," _he stated slowly and carefully, as if he were afraid she had a mental problem. She only glared at him and shook her head.

"No, it's _not_ true. Being clever and being cunning is the same thing, only different words. Slytherins are ambitious and Gryffindors are brave. They go together, because without bravery you can't go after your ambitions," she began while frowning, "Hufflepuffs are loyal, Slytherins only backstab. Hufflepuffs are true and honest, Slytherins are sly and slide around the truth."

Draco hated that he could understand her. "Yeah? What's your point?" He was an impatient person and longed to be out of the muggle lover's presence.

"Oh, I don't have one. I just wanted to give you something to think about." With that, she entered the room and shut the door. Draco just stood there for a minute longer, shrugged and muttered confused profanities.

He turned from the door and started down the stairs, calling out as he went, "Dinner is served at eight o' clock sharp!" Draco almost sprinted the way to his room, managing to avoid running into any family member or Death Eater. He was glad to be free of everyone's company and in his own room where he was safe to just be himself and not have to chat or suck up. He wasn't safe in his own home, and he knew that. _Isn't home where I should be the most safe? Isn't home where I should always want to be?_ Well, not anymore. Not since the Dark Lord came back.

_This isn't my home anymore. It's headquarters._ Oh, how did Draco hate the thoughts that were running through his head, and more than ever before, he hated the war. He hated his home. He hated the Dark Lord, and he was able to in the only safe place he had left: his mind. And now, as he thought on the words that the girl had said, he wondered exactly how safe his mind was anymore.


End file.
